Under the Covers

Related to my last entry, how about songs where the cover version has become more famous than the original? Here are a few cases where I prefer the original, less well-known version:

  • Blinded By The Light – Bruce Springsteen (covered by: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band)
  • Video Killed The Radio Star – Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (covered by: The Buggles)

Cover Me

I love cover versions of songs. Inspired by links found in Timo‘s sidebar, I’m compiling my own list of the 12 Best (and 1 Worst) Cover Songs Ever:

  1. Children of the Revolution – Violent Femmes (original: T.Rex)
  2. Satisfaction – Devo (original: The Rolling Stones)
  3. Higher Ground – Red Hot Chili Peppers (original: Stevie Wonder)
  4. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – Rheostatics (original: Gordon Lightfoot)
  5. Ride Into The Sun – Luna (original: Velvet Underground)
  6. Friday On My Mind – David Bowie (original: The Easybeats)
  7. White Lines – Duran Duran (original: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
  8. Has He Got A Friend For Me? – Maria McKee (original: Richard and Linda Thompson)
  9. Sweet Thing – The Waterboys (original: Van Morrison)
  10. Ziggy Stardust – Bauhaus (original: David Bowie)
  11. I Dream Of Wires – Robert Palmer (original: Gary Numan)
  12. A New England – Kirsty MacColl (original: Billy Bragg)
  13. Surfin’ Bird – The Ramones (original: The Trashmen)

Can you find the bad one? Now, let’s hear some of yours…

And though I’ve mentioned it before, check out The Covers Project, a collaborative database of cover versions.

Oh, and watch this space. I may try experimenting with posting MP3s of cover and original for each song, if there’s interest. Let me know…

Fame Magnet

I sell computers for one of Toronto’s largest and oldest Apple dealers. Over the past few years, my job has brought me into contact with a lot of famous people, and I usually mention it here. I thought it would be neat to list them all in one place. In no particular order:

And, on a day when I wasn’t there, Michael Caine stopped by for some help with his iPod.